The present invention concerns a device for regenerating a printed sheet-like recording medium for erasing images on a printed sheet-like recording medium and enabling the thus treated medium to be reused as it is by a printing device.
Recently, amount of recording paper used in individual firm or organization has been greatly increased along with the startling progress in copying machines and word processors which has, correspondingly, increased the amount of printed paper to be discarded, and regeneration and reuse thereof has become a significant problem in view of environmental protection.
For regenerating such paper, although it has been adapted to beat the printed paper into pulpous form, which is then formed by a paper-making process into paper for reuse in a very small amount, it requires to previously discriminate as to whether or not the printed paper can be deinked after pulping. However, while the discrimination generally needs an expert's judgment, it is difficult to leave the judgment of the deinking property to outside experts in view of keeping the contents of the recording paper to be discarded in secret. From a view point of keeping secret, discarded documents are finely shredded by cutters such as shredders before disposal in most of firms or organizations. However, it is actually impossible to separate such shredded recording papers to be discarded into those which can and can not be deinked and, in addition, to remove clips or plastic materials included therein, and they are after all put to incinerating treatment at present. This invites reckless deforestation and also leads to air pollution.
Further, even when it is attempted to prepare regenerated paper by deinking the thus shredded recording papers and putting them to a paper-making step, since the resultant regenerated paper has a dark tone and the cost for the regeneration is more expensive than that for the production of new papers, it is not favored both by consumers and manufactures and only little amount of the printed paper is utilized for the regeneration at present.
The present inventors have made an earnest study for completing a regeneration device for a printed sheet-like recording medium capable of dissolving the foregoing problems, aiming at regeneration device capable of treating the medium at least in each of firms or organizations, if possible, in a restricted quarter, i.e., a regeneration device that can be used with ease and convenient like that existing copying machines with a view point of keeping secret and, as a result, have accomplished the regeneration device of the present invention in an approach of erasing images on the printed sheet-like recording medium and restoring it into the original state.